NIS 50M for Gush Katif Farmers to Resume Farming

The Ministerial Committee for Assistance to the Displaced Jews of Gush Katif decided, Monday, to allocate 50 million additional shekels to acquire and development land for Gush Katif farmers and to make it suitable for hothouse agriculture. Director Ophir Cohen of the Tenufa Administration for the displaced people reported to the committee that almost seven years since the government removed them from their homes, 35 percent are living in permanent homes, another 35 percent are under construction, 10 percent of the lots are in the development stages and 20 percent had not begun construction. Except for the 243 families in the last category, a fair amount of progress has been made in the last year.

Committee Chairman Daniel Hershkowitz said, during the meeting, "We have again proved that the uprooting was a national and personal tragedy, and some of the problems that were created are distorted and cannot be fixed." He cited the committee and its staff for the work it has done in the three years since he took over.